1) As a HR student how do you see the problem?

What would have been the role of the

Personnel Department, including the Personnel Manager in preventing the loss of
loyal and senior workers? Explain your answer in detail giving examples and the
theories you learnt in the class room.

Human Resource Management is the most important section in every organization and is
very essential for the systems to achieve their goals and objectives. To meet the
challenges and the competitive atmosphere of today’s business environment, managers
must recognize the potential of Human Resources and then Acquire, Train and Develop
and Retain these resources. Having a good understanding of Human Resource
Management is important for managers and entrepreneur of all types’ not just human
resources personnel. All managers are responsible for at least some of the activities that
fall into category of Human Resource Management.HR management involve a wide
variety of activities, including analyzing a company’s competitive environment and
designing jobs so a firm’s strategy can be successfully implemented to beat the
competition.

This case is woven around aluminum and steel production company. It designs for office
and house hold constructions. In this company there is a Personnel and Administration
Department. From recent the owner of this company noticed that no of workers including
the very loyal seniors are moving out of the company for other jobs. This BK Steel is
well doing in the market and thus they are paying something above the industry levels to
its workers even without much pressure on jobs. Therefore the MD was really worried
and surprised to see this labor turnover. So MD wanted to know the reason for this labor
turnover. When contacted the workers who left even without finding another job, he came
to know that the junior supervisors were used to shout at the workers even for a small
omissions and insulted them and made them embarrassed in front of all, where even the
supervisors and the technician didn’t care of that. So MD decided to send all five
supervisors to a supervisory skills training workshop and told Personnel manager to
arrange it immediately.

After that Personnel manager informed the junior supervisors about the workshop
including date, time and place of the workshop and asked to take part in the training. The
next Monday MD walked into personnel manager’s room and asked that “have our junior
supervisors gone to the workshop?” Personnel manager said that when he asked junior
supervisors were so happy and they said “it was very good” .Then the MD shouted and
said that “they haven’t gone to the workshop and the supervisors were at the Keththarama
stadium to see the match, since MD was watched it in TV he noticed. So MD asked to get
them all and have an inquiry. That the incident in this case at BK steel company.
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 As a HR student there is a problem in Personnel manager in this company. According to
the above incident. The MD also in a big risk because of the poor administration of the
personnel manager and he is failed to controlling the junior supervisors.

Example: MD & PM of the BK steel company was failed to find the reason for turnover.

The turnover emphasis the poor administration of the Personnel management in this
company. The Personnel manager didn’t see the turnover properly. But the MD
understood what is going on. This shows the poor communication between the Personnel
manager and the employee.
A real personal manager should identify the problem before MD sees the problem. But
the PM was poor in understanding the employee feelings.

HRM was first known as personnel management. Most managers can do personnel
management. A manager with basic managerial skills could handle it.
In this company the personnel manager is irresponsible person and he fails in controlling
the management.

Example: The Personnel manager of the BK steel company.

Into my view the task of a junior supervisor is to guide the employers and make them
sure to do their duty properly also show their mistakes and advise them in a proper way.
So that they could work hard and provide their maximum contribution towards the
development of the organization.
So here, the problem is clear that the fault is with the personnel manager.

Role of a Personnel Manager

● Manage people
● Most people can perform personnel management.
● More admin oriented
● More rules and strict controls
● Cost effective on the short term
● Less concentration on employees
● A job
● Reactive
● Communication top to bottom

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 2) If there was a well-qualified and experienced Human Resources manager instead of
a personnel manager, how he (the HRM) would have behaved / acted to prevent
labor turnover, before the interference of MD. Explain in your answer in detail.

In the world of business, high rate of employee turnover is a significant problem.

BK steel company was in a labor turnover because of the behavior of the junior supervisors. As a
well doing company BK steel in a risk on this turnover. The employees of the BK steel company
was not satisfy about the behavior of the junior supervisors because of that the labors of the
company decided to leave their jobs.

Turnover can simply defined as leaving the job because of the un-satisfaction of the company.
Employees don’t always leave simply because they are looking for a bigger paycheck. In here the
BK steel company workers leave the job. Employees may want a voice or to be kept in the loop on the
company’s direction, but they don’t feel the company provides either one.

If there was a well-qualified and experienced human resource manager instead of a personnel manager he
would have behaved/acted to prevent labor turnover, before the interference of MD.
However, HR manager of BK steel can implement strategies and actions to reduce turnover through
straightforward, effective steps.

⮚ Hiring the right people from the start is the best way to reduce labor turnover.
In here at the interview should select those who fit well with the company culture,
managers and co-workers.

⮚ Employee needs respect and recognition from managers and challenging position with room to
learn and move up.

⮚ Create an orientation program that provides new employees with necessary tools to
become fully interested into the workplace.

⮚ Produce an orientation event that includes the presentations from every members of
compensation, satisfy, employee relations, benefits, recruitment and training.

⮚ Respect for employees at all times and listen to them deeply.

⮚ Encourage workers to come and tell their questions and wishes.

⮚ Introduce suggestion box to find out problems of the employees.

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 ⮚ Encourage friendly employee reviews.
In here HR manager have to find out the reason for the turnover by talking
about the likes and dislikes about their job.

⮚ Conduct exit interviews.

⮚ Retrain managers.

⮚ Consider alternate roles for unhappy employees.

⮚ Fire bad employees.

Employees who perform poorly, negatively, misconducting, they should have to
develop it. If they didn’t develop it they should have to fire.

⮚ Create an orientation program that provides new employees with the necessary tools to
become fully integrated into the workplace.

If there was a well-qualified Human resource manager, he will be behaved/acted the above points
and reduce employee turnover. The employees of the BK steel company will be wonder about
this and seriously the HR manager can reduce employee turnover.

Role of a Human Resource Manager

● Consider people as resource that can be developed.

● Professionally qualified person.
● Specialist leader.
● More motivation, more development career advancement opportunities.
● Cost effective on long term.
● An investment.
● A Career.
● Proactive.
● Communication top bottom and bottom up.
● Hire, develop and retain.
● Obtain the contribution willingly.
● Growth and development.

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 3) By avoiding the training these five junior supervisors have done misconduct!
Explain what you mean by the term “Misconduct” and explain the impact of these
“Supervisors Misconduct” to the business.

The junior supervisors of the BK steel company have done misconduct. The misconduct
is avoiding the training.

Misconduct means some form of wrong doing. Usually it will involve deliberate
wrongdoing, but there may be circumstances where an employee acts so carelessly that it
amounts to serious misconduct.

Employee misconduct can be defined as “As act or omissions that is in breach of

expressed or implied terms and conditions of the employment which has an adverse
bearing on the smooth functioning of the work place”.

Misconduct could be divided into two, based on the gravity of the offence.

I. Minor Misconduct
II. Major Misconduct

Minor Misconduct

Acts of indiscipline, which are not of serious nature, but which cumulatively or particular
situation could in fact be grievance or major offences

Examples:

▪ Absence from place of work without permission.

▪ Being found straying from work place without reason or permission.
▪ Breach of any rule or instruction for the maintenance of good order or cleanliness.
▪ Late attendance.
▪ Disregard of any notice in connection with smoking in prohibited area.
▪ Exceeding the stipulated time for meal intervals.
▪ Failure to wear uniform whilst being on duty.
▪ Malingering.
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 ▪ Wearing untidy or dirty uniforms.

Major Misconduct

Acts of indiscipline, which is not of serious nature, the punishment for which should therefore be
severe even for an only offence. In such offences, even mitigating circumstances may be
disregarded.

Examples:

▪ Abuse of power or authority for personal gain or other ends.

▪ Brining disrepute to the organization/harming the good name of the organization.
▪ Acting in collusion with competitors, suppliers, customers and agents to the detriment of
the company.
▪ Assaulting, threatening or causing bodily harm to anyone while on duty or at the work
place or premises of the company.
▪ Disobedience.
▪ Committing any criminal offence.
▪ Forgery and falsification of documents.
▪ Indecent behavior in the office.
▪ Issue of unlawful instructions or orders to subordinates.
▪ Refusal of essential and urgent work.

By avoiding the training these five junior supervisors have done misconduct in this BK
steel company.
Company occurs a huge problem because of the indiscipline of the junior supervisors.
Following points shows the impact of these “Supervisory Misconduct” to the business.

● Wasting money.
Arranging a training program cost for the company. In here misconduct of the supervisors
wasted money of the company. The PM well arranges the training program but
supervisors didn’t participate on it. Because of that company had to waste money of an
un-useful thing.

● Disobedience of the junior supervisors totally affects the employees because the
employee would think why we respect the management of the organization.

● Poor chain of command

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 Chain of command of the BK steel company was poor. In here the management failed to
order and instruct the highest level of the employees of the company.
● Lost of production
Because of the labor turnover the BK steel lost production day by day. As a well doing
company BK steel was fail in production.

● The supervisors’ misconduct affects the goodwill of the company.

● Wasting time.
The turnover and arranging wasted the time of the company.

● Uselessness of the management of the BK steel company.

Above points shows the impact of these “Supervisory Misconduct” to the business.

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4) If you are the Personnel Manager/ HR manager in BK steel what are the steps you
follow in order to punish these supervisors.

HR manager should have to identify employees potential, areas for improvement,

strengths and weaknesses, identifies training needs and trains them.
The role of the HR manager today has become a much more challenging specialist’s
skills.
In this BK steel company there was a misconduct done by junior supervisors.If I’m the
Personnel manager/ HR manager in BK steel, I’ll follow the following steps in order to
punish these supervisors.

✔ Preliminary Investigation.
In here collecting material, recording evidence and I do an analyze to see whether
it is necessary to do a proper inquiry.

✔ Charge sheet.
If existing facts are not conclusive or sufficient evidence not available, the
management issues a charge sheet to the accused. It should specify the charges
made against the employee and it should contain sufficient particulars.

✔ Letter of explanation.
When the letter of explanation is received from the employee, the employee, the
employer should decide whether to accept it or not.

✔ Domestic inquiry.
This must be always conduct bearing in mind the rationale for holding of
domestic disciplinary inquiry.

✔ Imposing of punishments.If found a guilty, the employee needs to be punished

and have to take decisions on the type of punishments

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5) Draft a sample show Case Notice or Charge sheet to be given to these junior
supervisors and explain the types of punishments you recommended for such
misconduct.

If there was misconduct in an organization, the management involved in the disciplinary

procedure. Case Notice and Charge sheet are used to prove the misconduct that done by
the employees in the organization.

In this BK steel company, the junior supervisors did misconduct.

If existing facts are not conclusive or sufficient evidence is not available, the
management can issue a charge sheet or a case notice to the accused should specify the
charges made against the employee and it should contain sufficient particulars.

Charge sheet is a legal document which is given to employees when they misconduct.
This will contain a brief description of the following.

▪ Brief description of the Charge, date, time, place, incident etc.

▪ Specify time limited to reply.
▪ The employee to show case in writing.
▪ Opportunity to examine document if any.
▪ Proposed action if no reply is received within specified period.
▪ Name of the employee.
▪ EPF number of the employee.

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When selecting the appropriate punishment, the management should consider the following
steps.

I. Gravity of the offence.

II. Past record of the employee.
III. Company policy so far practiced.
IV. Length of service.
V. How court will interfere.
VI. Whether this punishment will lead to unrest in the work place.

The types of punishments that recommended for such misconduct.

● Oral warnings.

In such cases, the supervisors should enlighten the employee orally, as to how to prevent
their recurrence of the committed misconduct.

● Written warning.

Whenever oral warnings fail to achieve the desired behavior on the part of an employee,
written warnings which are the first formal state of progressive discipline, may be
resorted to.

● Fines.
Recoveries of fines imposed should be limited. The wages earned during a time and the
amounts so recovered should be credited to a “fines fund” to be financed for welfare
facilities of the employees.

● Transfers.
Change the location of work place.

● Suspension from duty.

Under suspension the employer prohibits the employee from performing the tasks
assigned to him.
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References

Books:

● Self-study text of IPM FCHRM

● Self-study text of IPM CCHRM
● George W. Bohlander /Scott Snell (2013),Principals of Human ResourcManagement,16th
Edition

Websites:

http://www.dol.govt.nz/er/solvingproblems/types/misconduct.asp
http://www.hrhelpboard.com/contract-n-letters/charge-sheet/

http://en.wikipedia.org/employee-misconduct/diciplinary/

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